


If Things Were Different

by pandemoniumforfree



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2017-06-08
Packaged: 2018-11-08 10:28:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11079711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pandemoniumforfree/pseuds/pandemoniumforfree
Summary: An AU Fic.: What if Naruto and Sasuke have been best friends, each soothing the others loneliness after Sasuke's family is murdered by his own brother. This is my interpretation.





	1. Prelude: Awkward Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> I started re-watching the Naruto series for two reason! First because I missed my sweet Shikamaru. The next because I'm curious about the Boruto series and what they've done to my dear babies. So, after a four year hiatus, I've decided to ease my suffering of re-watching Sasuke's betrayal by writing my own version of how I think it should have gone down. 
> 
> I do not own Naruto, the show would look entirely different if I did!  
> Also, ratings, warnings, and relationships are subject to change. For rating that's what I suspect it to be but who knows. I estimate this to have 8 chapters beyond this prelude. 
> 
> Also, this prelude is aging Naruto and Sasuke to about 7 years old, right after the Uchiha massacre. It's a pretty short beginning, but I'm getting started on the first chapter.

_Plop, plop, plop…_  
My tears keep flowing despite how much I’ve tried to keep them back, to hold this dam of emotions from coursing through me in a very physical way. How _could_ _he_ do that? How could Itachi kill our whole family, and making me live through all of this? I don’t want to live like this anymore, I hate it! Being alone...  
  
A small hand landed on my shoulder, a very solid weight jolting me from my thoughts, only to look into endless blue eyes. I rush to my feet, the wood of the pier creaking beneath my weight, and quickly wiping away my tears. “Can I help you?” I ask quickly, probably too quickly from the slight squeak in my voice.  
  
“I was going to ask you that!” Naruto accused, pointing a finger at me, and then placing his hands on his hips boldly.   
  
I blinked, “But...why? I’m fine, Naruto.” I stated coldly, turning away. What changed this time? Naruto and I had seen each other on this pathway before and only glanced at each other in a very weak attempt at acknowledgement. So what’s the difference now?  
  
“Because…” Naruto paused, his boldness melted away and became suddenly timid, scratching at the back of his head, looking all sorts of directions instead of at me. “I just...um...you wanna be friends?” Eh? My eyes widened and looked at him in shock for a moment. There was a dusting of color across Naruto’s cheeks and his heart was beating quickly for some reason, it wasn't exactly what Naruto wanted to say, I could tell. Naruto was trying to encourage him, but he was nervous...but he was trying. It must have taken me awhile to respond because the blond suddenly looked crestfallen, taking my silence as a rejection. Naruto turned around muttering an apology for bothering him before walking away from the pier.  
  
“Wait!” I yelled, hoping I didn’t sound too eager or anything. If anyone understood what I felt like, it was Naruto. He might never have had a family, but…he understood the pain of solitude. Naruto stopped, looking back at me with a flicker of hope in his eyes, and I just couldn’t resist. “Do...you want to sit with me?” I asked awkwardly before moving to just sit a little more to the left of my normal spot; I don't want to deal with this awkwardness anymore, and if Naruto wasn't serious he could just leave!  
  
At first I heard nothing, and I felt stupid just for asking, even sad; but then an excited giggle resonated through the air and shoes clambering on the wood added to the sound. 

I'm not so alone anymore. 


	2. Academy Antics!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going back to the academy days!!  
> Oh, and sorry I have to moderate comments, but I just found out people really do say some awful things and while I remain unaffected I do not desire for anyone else to be hurt by such comments. ;/

“Now, as you can see, transformation jutsu is incredibly important to covert operations! Just to make sure you remember everything I've taught you in the last week, here’s a pop test on the history of transformation jutsu!” Iruka-sensei said with a wide smile that reached from ear to ear, as if he was actually enjoying this torture that he was putting us through. Now, I don’t feel as guilty about the little stunt Naruto and I had orchestrated together. I grinned over to the blond, who returned my grin tenfold. Clearly, we were thinking along the same lines.  
  
Then both our eyes returned to Iruka for a brief moment, while I waited, I quickly filled out my test. They were easy enough questions, anyone who didn’t know the answer had to be a moro-  
  
“Ahhh, I don’t know the answer to any of these questions!” Naruto screeched with a pathetic look on his face, and all I could do was face palm. This was the guy I called my best friend, what was I thinking that day? Sure I didn’t want to be alone, but Naruto…  
  
“Naruto! Sasuke!”  
  
Jumping to attention, we grin as Iruka was standing with his chair completely glued to his butt, it’d been a perfect mixture that soaked into the cushions so it was barely noticeable. Naruto and I developed it ourselves, we worked very hard on it. Sensei moved to go around the desk, I share a look with Naruto before the two of us jump out of our seats and take out through the windows.  
  
“ACK! OW!”  
  
Naruto laughed, “Hehehehe! Sensei found the trip wire~~!!!”  
“Which means he’s covered in pink paint!!” I snickered, and while sometimes I might actually wonder if I had just gone insane that day, moments like these are where I wonder what I would have been like if Naruto and I hadn’t made friends that day. If I had continued to sit in those confusing emotions that tore me apart, I don’t think I’d be able to laugh and smile like I do now. Soon, we both landed on a rooftop, the academy was far enough away that we should be safe. 

   
“Yeah! Hehehe! And that paint isn’t supposed to come out for at least five days!!! Now we can-" Naruto started, but the voice that spoke next made the hairs on the back of my neck stand at complete attention.    
  
“Five days, huh?”  
“Yep! Five days, but Sasuke you...knew...uh…Hey, Iruka-Sensei! Hahahaha...ha...ha…” Naruto’s laugh flattened like a flower in a tower of books. Shit, now what do we do!? And…where did the chair go? That chair should have kept him down for at least two hours!! They’d tested it!  
  
“That chair idea would have been a good idea if I didn’t happen to know jutsu to counteract childish pranks.” Iruka smirked arrogantly, clicking my tongue I look away, where as Naruto became downcast with big puppy dog eyes, knowing exactly what was coming but hoping that maybe Iruka would have mercy. 

Yeah right!

“You two are going to spend the afternoon cleaning up the paint covering my classroom. Then, Naruto, you’re going to take the pop test I handed out this afternoon and until you can get a passing grade on that test I won’t pay for anymore Ichiraku’s Ramen!” Iruka-sensei, harsh, taking away Ichiraku’s was...a really good tactic against Naruto.

  
“AHHHHHHHHHH!” Naruto screamed, loud enough that both Iruka and I had to cover our ears. Well, at least I was getting out of this with just a clean up job and a possibly busted eardrum. “And Sasuke!” Oh shit. “If Naruto fails YOU are in charge of tutoring him until he gets it. Seeing as you can ace the test in the few minutes before you pulled that prank. Don’t even think you’re off the hook! If he doesn’t pass this test in the next week - you’ll both be stuck after school every day for the rest of the term! Under _my_ supervision!”  
  
“But!” I started, though realizing it was a lost battle, I felt my head lull to the side, utterly defeated. I glare up at my best friend and smack myself in the face. There was no talking Iruka-sensei out of this, he was too scary, and I’m not being weak thinking that! A lot of the Jounin are scared of Iruka-sensei! Besides, what kind of jutsu do you even learn that gets you unstuck from a powerful glue without any evidence on your pants?! Not only that, there was no chance in hell that I _wasn’t_ going to be spending the rest of this school year teaching Naruto after hours. Naruto was not...he didn't have a lot of book smarts. At least he was still pink, that was something.   
  
“Sasuke! Don’t glare, hey! I’m sorry!” Naruto whined, already tracking with my process of thought, and I huff. Shaking my head, I can’t stay mad at Naruto, but there was no way I would tell him that. I can’t give him any leverage over me like that!  
  
“Okay! Let’s go!” Iruka instructed with a large smile, finally we are being dragged off by the ears to meet our fate back at the academy. So much for getting ourselves a free day…which sucked, but being trapped in the classroom meant-  
  
“Kyaa~~!!! Sasuke!! Can I help you!”  
“No! Sasuke wants my help, Ino-pig!”  
“Get lost Billboard Brow!”  
  
It meant fangirls. I cringe, scrub at the floor, and pretend like I don’t notice them. “Dude, all the girls like you! It’s not fair!” Naruto whispers over to me, he was sitting directly across, scrubbing at his side of the floor as well.   
“Being popular isn’t all it’s cracked up to be you know, I wish they’d leave me alone!” I bit out the reply.  
“Wanna prank ‘em?”  
I paused, glancing down at the floor where our last prank has put us. It was nearly cleaned, was it really such a good idea to pull anything this soon after...but...the offer was tempting.  
  
Naruto reached into his pockets and pulled out little plastic spiders, although they looked real enough that in a frenzied state of mind...hm, I can’t help but grin. Nodding my head, he mouthed to me ‘distract’ and so Naruto stood up, “I gotta take a wizz!” he yelped and charged out the door, leaving behind his scrub brush, “You know what, I could use your help, if-” I almost yelped, like a man of course, when suddenly all the girls were crowding around trying to be the most help.   
  
I smirked when I noticed the tile above their heads open and then the plastic spiders dropped…  
They ran off screaming, while Naruto and I couldn’t stop laughing. Too bad Iruka-sensei caught us, oh well, the pranks were completely worth it all the same.

* * *

I feel really bad, Sasuke and I should have left a lot sooner than we did. It was my fault for suggesting that last prank, we ended up having to clean the entire classroom and Sasuke still had to tutor me with Iruka-sensei’s eyes nearly burning through our skulls.  
  
And I can’t do a damn thing about this punishment, because then Iruka-sensei won’t pay for my ramen anymore!!  
  
Sighing, but maybe that shouldn’t have been my worries, what if Sasuke didn’t want to be friends with me after all this? I just...ugh. I should just apologize already and it will be all over, I won’t need to worry about this anymore!  
  
“Naruto, are you okay?”  
  
I can’t do it. No way! I can’t let him think I’m weak or anything!!! Especially when he's looking at me with eyes like those, brimming with legitimate concern. Arggh!! “I’m fine Sasuke! Why do you ask? There’s nothing wrong!” Laughing so hard that I wonder if my gut might actually bust, Sasuke doesn't seem to believe me because then he reaches over and flicks me in the forehead. “Ow!” I yelp, rubbing at my forehead to ease the pain.  
  
“You were sighing so much that I thought you were about to overwork your brain. Or, maybe, you already overworked so much that we better take you to a doctor.” Sasuke grins, and I pout.  
  
“I did not!” I scoff and then turn around to emphasize my point, but when I turn around, there were a few adults standing around and starring at us.  
  
“Ugh! That Naruto, as if Sasuke hasn’t been through enough - now he’s hanging out with bad influences!”  
“Someone should say something to him, surely that boy is forcing Sasuke to hang out with him in the first place!”  
“That monster…”  
  
I tense, that’s right, everyone thinks I’m a monster. Someday Sasuke will probably think the same thing! Especially because when he starts tutoring me like this, he'll see all my weaker points, like the freaking clone jutsu!   
  
“Hey! All of you shut up! You clearly don’t know anything!” Sasuke snaps loudly, the crowds jump in surprise, no one having expected to be called out for their gossip. Glaring at anyone who dares to even try to step forward. “Let’s go, Naruto!” Sasuke says curt and crisp, not taking any of their nonsense, turning around and starting back towards our original destination, yet all I could do was stare.   
  
“Naruto…?” Sasuke sighed dramatically, stomping back to me and grabbing my wrist to drag me along. It was nice, ever since Sasuke and I became friends, I haven’t been so alone, and the whispers around me weren’t usually as loud as they were today.

Sasuke let go of me when we got to the dock, and sat down, just like that day we finally became friends: I sat down beside him, kicking my feet so the bottom of my shoes skimmed over the top of the water, not sure what to say. Feeling a nudge in my side, I let my gaze meet Sasuke's, “Hey, don’t listen to those assholes. They don’t know you, I don’t care what they say - so you shouldn’t either.” Sasuke said, and then he smiled. He actually smiled, there was no arrogance or challenge behind it like usual.  
  
It made me feel really happy, and I can’t stop the smile I feel creep on my own face, “Thanks, Sasuke. I...I’m really happy you’re my friend.”  
  
Sasuke has made life seem not so painful anymore.


End file.
